The waves of the sea are carried by the devil. Every summer we hear news of people who die by drowning, although fortunately there are many others who manage to save themselves.
What researchers are beginning to wonder are the consequences that drownings can have on long-term survivors , especially in the case of children, who are in the midst of developing their mental capacities.
A group of Finnish researchers, led by Pertti K. Suominen has recently published an article in the journal Resuscitation (2014) in which they describe the possible consequences that drowning can have on a cognitive level in children.
Their study included the participation of 21 children who suffered a drowning between 2 and 22 minutes before the age of 5 years. All were evaluated approximately 8 years after the drowning episode, with a battery of intelligence tests.
The results showed that around 60% of the children had some neurological dysfunction and 40% had a low total intelligence quotient . In addition, this total intelligence quotient was less than 80 in the cases in which the suffocation lasted more than 12 minutes, with risk starting at 8 minutes.
We thus recall the importance of watching children on beaches and swimming pools, because the consequences can be significant despite surviving the trauma. Furthermore, the question remains whether these effects could be reversed with an adequate cognitive training program.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
